According to the Chronicle, the SFPD has 100 violence-happy members among its force of 2,200. These officers are then promoted to supervisory positions and train rookie officers, thus instilling a police culture where violence is rewarded and possibly encouraged. And of course taxpayers pay a considerable burden defending all the civil suits. The City has paid out more than $5 million in judgments and legal settlements between 1996 and 2005.

Heaven knows what the costs are for the victims, both physically and mentally, short-term and long-term.